Am I Still Important?
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Kira and Tori agreed to hang out a lot more often, without Kaylee. They might have taken their pact a little too seriously. Kaylee no longer sees her sister or her best friend anymore... so she tries to run somewhere else. Keyword: tries.


**A/N:** Okay, when I wrote this, I actually had more in the end, but it kinda changed the story a bit, so I decided to leave it out. Do not fear, it's going into the next oneshot.

Anyways, read and review!

**Disclaimer: **Only own Kaylee... the rest isn't mine.

* * *

"Kayl, don't forget to feed the fish!" Tori called, shutting the house door behind her as she and Kira left for their 'sister' date.

Kaylee sighed, picking up the fish food and dumping it into the bowl as she mocked her sister.

"_Don't forget to feed the fish, Kaylee. Kira and I are going out __**again,**__tonight, Kaylee. Kira's like a little sister, Kaylee. I like her better than I do you, Kaylee..."_

Kaylee made the last part up herself, but with the way Tori and Kira had been hanging out almost every night, it felt as if Tori was planning to trade Kaylee for Kira. Paintball, movies, dinner, the park, sparring... everything Tori used to do with Kaylee, she was doing with Kira... and now, Kaylee was left to feed the fish.

"So, how's school?" Kaylee asked the fish. She watched them for a few seconds before rolling her eyes and walking to the couch. She flopped down and reached for the remote.

"Surfing contest... great, it's on TV?" Kaylee groaned, changing the channel before she saw Tori and Kira in the stands. She flipped through a few channels before turning off the TV and walking back to the kitchen. She reached into the pantry to grab a bag of popcorn and put it in the microwave. She set the timer, but cancelled it halfway through. She was too upset to eat popcorn, and there was no reason as to why she should be eating it. It wasn't like she was going to watch a movie. She had seen every one on the shelf, and watching them a second time didn't sound like it could be fun when she was on her own.

Instead, Kaylee decided to do something on her own. She ran to the coat rack and grabbed her jacket and her keys, forgetting her cell phone in the bowl by the door as she ran out.

-----Am-I-Still-Important-?-----

"Kayl, we're home!" Tori called as she walked into the house. She tossed her keys into the bowl and hung her coat, and Kira's up on the coat rack.

"We bought you a keychain!" Kira added, thinking it would bring Kaylee out of hiding. When there was no response, the two women exchanged worried looks. Tori walked to Kaylee's room, while Kira checked between the sofa cushions. "Kayl... Kaylee? You're not down there, are you?"

Tori walked back to find Kira lifting the couch cushions.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"I made this mistake once before," Kira smirked. "I'm not doing it again."

"I'll ignore that, and go straight to the part where I tell you that she's not in her room."

Kira looked up at Tori, as panic began to settle in. She pulled out her phone, while Tori walked to the kitchen to see if Kaylee left a note.

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone filled the air. Tori walked to the source of the sound, finding Kaylee's cell phone. She picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"_Kaylee?"_

"No, this is Tori, can I take a message?" Tori asked, turning to Kira in the other room.

"_Yeah, tell your sister she's Ptera food when we find her."_

"You'll have to eat regurgitated dolphin food then, because I'm going to be the first to get my hands on her."

Tori hung up the cell phone and put it in her pocket for safe keeping before grabbing her coat.

"C'mon, Kira, she's probably out somewhere."

Kira nodded, grabbing her things as she walked past Tori.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Tori hopped into the driver's seat of her van and started the engine as Kira put on her seatbelt.

"Where should we check first?" Tori asked.

"I'll call the others to ask if she's with them, you check the streets," Kira instructed. "I really hope I'm the one to find her."

"I'm with you on that," Tori frowned, pulling out of the driveway. "She's eighteen years old, and alone!"

"She may not be alone," Kira happily reminded the blonde, hoping to lift both their spirits.

"It's Kaylee, and as much as I love her, she doesn't think much."

"I thought she over analyzed everything to the point of babbling."

"There's that too," Tori sighed. "Let's just hope she babbled all the way to Dustin's house... try calling him first."

Kira nodded, but just before she could push the first number, her phone began to vibrate. She nearly dropped it as she looked over at Tori. The surfer was staring back at her.

"Answer it!" she yelled.

"Yeah..." Kira said, looking down at the caller ID, hoping it would be coming from one of their friends, or a payphone. She recognized the number as Kelly's and picked up. "Kelly?"

Tori kept switching from watching Kira and the road as the songstress' voice darkened.

"She's where? What happened?"

"Kira... what's going on?" Tori whispered, but Kira shushed her.

"Yeah... we were at the competition, did she call you?"

"Where is she?" Tori asked, only to be shushed again.

"I'll tell her... but is she okay?"

"KIRA!" Tori yelled, slamming on the breaks and putting the van into park before turning to Kira. "What the hell..."

"Kelly just took Kaylee to the hospital," Kira explained, covering the mouthpiece of her cell phone. Kira noticed Tori's eyebrows shoot up, and with no one else in the car, Kira knew she was in deep shit if she didn't keep talking. "She's fine and all, just a bump on her head and a few cuts and bruises, but Kelly didn't want to risk it."

"What happened?" Tori growled. Kira backed away until her back was pressed against the door. She now knew why Kaylee was claustrophobic. Kira put the cell phone back to her ear and asked the same question to Kelly. After nodding a few times, she hung up the phone.

"Kaylee was on her way to Kelly's house. She forgot her cell phone and couldn't call her to warn her. She was just turning into Kelly's street when she was attacked by three men. She fought them off and made it to Kelly's, but she got a little banged up."

"Why did she go to the hospital?" Tori asked, a little relieved it wasn't anything too bad.

"She had a bump on her head," Kira explained. "I would have taken her to the hospital as well. Kelly wasn't sure about what happened and didn't want to risk anything."

Tori's head dropped onto the steering wheel, and Kira put her hand on her back, rubbing it gently.

"Hey, she's fine..."

"Kaylee knows better than to go outside at night when no one knows... especially without her phone!"

"Tori, I was scared too, it's okay to be mad at Kaylee... but it was an accident on her part. She's usually very responsible. Maybe something was bugging her."

"Let's just get to the hospital before I kill the next person I see," Tori said, starting the car and continuing down the road.

Kira gulped, looking around the car for another living thing. She and Tori may have just started hanging out, but they were very close. Kira already knew that Tori was serious.

-----Am-I-Still-Important-?-----

"Tori!" Kelly called, standing up from her seat in the waiting room as the blonde and the dirty blonde ran in. "And Kira... again..."

"What do you mean, again?" Kira asked as Tori hugged the red head.

"Nothing bad... it's just... boy, Kaylee was right when she said you two spend a lot of time together. How many nights in a row is this?"

"I don't know," Tori frowned.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Kelly waved it off. "Kaylee's waiting for you guys in room 208."

Kelly pointed down the hall, letting Tori run off. Kira turned to the entrepreneur and frowned.

"Now, seriously, what did you mean?" she asked, sitting down in an empty seat across from Kelly.

"Kaylee said you two have been spending a lot of time lately... that's why she tried to visit me... she said..."

Kelly trailed off as she looked away. Kira frowned and looked over at Kelly.

"What did she say?"

Kelly ran her hand through her hair. Kaylee had trusted her not to tell the two girls that had just run into the hospital. She didn't want to betray her trust, especially seeing as Kaylee was like a little sister to her. But she was hurting because she was keeping her emotions bottled up.

As much as Kelly didn't like going back on her word, she didn't like seeing her little sister hurting. If letting the cat out of the bag was going to help everything go back to normal, Kelly was fine with betrayal.

"Kaylee says that you and Tori are too close..." she said softly. "She feels a little... left out since the whole team up thing. You two have taken the 'hanging out more' a little too far."

"She feels left out?" Kira asked. "That can't be right. She's with Tori every day, and she sees me at school and... when we're working."

Kira pointed to the other people in the room, silently reminding Kelly she couldn't spill the Ranger secret.

"She doesn't see Tori after school anymore because you two are always hanging out," Kelly explained. "She feels... replaced."

"Replaced?" Kira asked.

"Tori's your best friend, and you're her little sister."

"No... it's not..."

Kira stopped. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that Kaylee was right to think that way. Kira couldn't remember the last time it was just the two of them, hanging out in Cyberspace.

"Just... give her a little alone time with Tori when she's at home, and maybe a little extra time when she goes back to school."

Kira nodded, looking up at a smiling Kelly.

"Thanks, Kel-Bel."

-----Am-I-Still-Important-?-----

"You. Freaking. Idiot!" Tori yelled storming into Kaylee's room and slamming the door behind her. "What the hell were you thinking? How many times have I told you not to go out on your own? You could have really gotten hurt! You could have been raped... or worse! Killed!"

"I'm sorry..." Kaylee whispered, looking out the window at the night sky. She couldn't look at Tori, not after that happened. She felt like an idiot. She knew better than to walk the streets alone at night, when no one knew where she was. But her emotions had gotten the better of her, and her momentary lapse in judgement had come close to costing her her life. Had it not been for her Ranger training and her days at the Wind Ninja Academy, Kaylee could have been in a lot more than a pickle.

"Sorry?" Tori continued to yell. "You think sorry is going to fix this. You're in the hospital, damn it! You've just been looked over for brain damage and you scared the shit out of me, Kira and Kelly! I swear to God, Kaylee, when the doctors let you out, I'm locking you in the house until you're eighty!"

"I'm sorry," Kaylee repeated, emphasising her apology. She knew it wasn't going to help, but she didn't have anything else to say.

"What in God's name made you go out on your own, like that? With no note, no cell phone and no warning to anyone? If something happened to you..."

"You wouldn't care anyway!" Kaylee yelled, slamming her fists down by her sides on the bed as she turned to face Tori, revealing her tear stained face. "You would have just adopted Kira and life would be good again. You don't need me!"

"Adopted Kira? What the hell are you talking about?" Tori asked. "Why would I do that?"

"She's practically replaced me already."

"Oh, you think?" Tori asked. "Replaced you as what?"

"Your sister!" Kaylee yelled.

"What..."

"Ever since the team up you two have been closer than sardines! In this week alone you've seen Kira more than you've seen me. You've barely said anything to me that didn't involve doing something for you."

Tori sat down on the bed beside Kaylee, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear and whispering softly.

"She's not replacing you."

Kaylee pushed her sister away forcefully.

"Tell it to someone who cares," Kaylee yelled. "I don't want to hear it."

"Kayl, we're just friends... that's it," Tori assured her sister. "You're the only little sister I want. If it were different, would I have driven around town and nearly killed Kira just to find you?"

"Go away," Kaylee frowned.

"Knock, knock," Kira said as she opened the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yes."

"No," Tori and Kaylee answered simultaneously. Tori sighed before turning to Kira.

"She thinks you're going to replace her," she explained.

"And that you're going to replace me as well," Kaylee added, pointing to Tori. "I'm losing my sister and my best friend to each other."

"Kaylee," Kira laughed. She knew what was going on from Kelly, and knew how to handle it. "Tori's not going to replace you as my best friend. She couldn't possibly. She's not a-dork-able enough."

"A-dorka-what?" Kaylee frowned. It was a new word that didn't register in her brain.

"The perfect mix of dork and adorable," Kira explained. "That's what I want in a best friend. Someone who doesn't give a shit about what people think and who isn't afraid to be herself, even if it means she looks like a total loser in front of the whole school."

"Oh, so you think I'm a loser?" Kaylee crossed her arms and turned away.

"I don't think you're a loser. I think Conner's a loser," Kira laughed. "I think you're the bestest friend I could ever ask for. And I wouldn't trade you in for anything. Not a Kaylee 2.0, nor a Tori."

Kaylee slowly looked back at Kira and smirked, but didn't say a thing. If Kira was truly still her best friend, then she would know that things were cool between them.

With just the smirk, Kira heard everything she had to. Kaylee understood what she was trying to get at, she just needed to make up for lost time and for the pain she caused her best friend.

"And anyways, I wouldn't want to be Tori's little sister, even if she paid me," Kira teased, leaning in closer to Kaylee. "She's kinda scary. I don't know how you put up with her."

Tori heard this and smacked Kira on the back of the head, before sitting back down beside Kaylee.

"And I wouldn't take Kira as a little sister. I already have one," she smiled. "And she's cute as hell. And, she gives awesome hugs... especially when she forgives the oblivious older sister..."

Kaylee smiled as she pulled Tori into a hug.

"I'm sorry I'm stupid," she whispered.

"I'm sorry you're stupid too," Tori laughed, kissing Kaylee's cheek. "And I'm sorry I forgot to spend time with you. I promise I'll make this up to you as soon as we get out of this hospital."

"You can't," Kaylee smirked. "You grounded me, remember. Until I was eighty."

Kira snickered as Tori rolled her eyes. Kaylee was back.

"I don't think she has brain damage," Kelly pointed out, scaring the three girls in the room with her sudden appearance. She noticed this and laughed. "Sorry, I found popcorn in the cafeteria and figured you would want some."

Kaylee reached for the bowl, grabbing a handful as she bit her lower lip. Tori watched suspiciously, but was taken by surprise when Kaylee threw the snack food at her.

"AH! HEY!" she yelled, taking a handful as well and throwing it back.

"Hey, I paid a lot for this popcorn," Kelly smirked, dumping the bowl over Kaylee's head. Kaylee took advantage of this, and looked up, opening her mouth to grab all the popcorn she could.

"Oh, and it's good," she commented as she chewed her food. "Can you get more though, Kira spilt the rest everywhere."

Kira jaw dropped when she heard Kaylee put the blame on her. She reached for the glass of water on the nightable and threw the contents at Tori and Kaylee.

"Hey, I didn't say it!" Tori frowned. She had received the most water, seeing as she was seated between Kira and Kaylee.

"You're supposed to be raising her," Kira said. "She's your fault."

"Hey, I didn't bring her into this world," Tori laughed. "But if she pulls one more stunt like she one she pulled tonight, I'll probably be the one to take her out."

Tori and Kaylee smiled at each other, failing to see Kira prepare herself to jump on the bed. When her weight landed on the two girls, they screamed.

"KIRA!" they called, shoving her slightly.

"Hey, I should be a part of this moment too!" Kira laughed. "I played a huge role in this."

"Not as huge as Tori's ass," Kaylee giggled.

"You and your ass jokes," Tori rolled her eyes.

"You're an easy target!"

Kelly watched the scene from the door and smiled to herself. Even though she had gone against her word and told Kira Kaylee's secret, she didn't feel bad. She knew the three girls before her were as close as family, and she would betray Kaylee's trust a thousand times if it meant keeping the little family together.


End file.
